Eurobarometer report: E-Communications Household Survey

The European Commission's Directorate General for the
Information Society and Media carried out an E-Communications Household Survey
in order to keep abreast of trends in electronic communications markets and to
assess how EU households and citizens derive benefits from the increasingly
competitive and innovative digital environment.

The fieldwork for this survey was carried out between 9
February and 8 March 2011. The interviews were conducted among 26 836 EU
citizens in the 27 Member States of the European Union.

The main themes addressed in this report and respective
findings are:

The different types of telephone access available with the
home: Most EU households have access to a telephone (98%); more have access to
a mobile phone (89%) than a fixed telephone (71%).

The availability of computers within the home: Household
access to a computer has continued to increase (+4) and almost seven out of ten
households now have access (68%).

Internet access and the quality of that Internet connection:
Household Internet access has increased (+5) and 62% of households now have
access at home. Most people are connecting using an ADSL, XDSL connection
(62%). 25% of EU households consider that the download/upload speed and
capacity of its Internet connection do not match the contract conditions, while
more than one third of EU households report Internet connection break downs.

Television availability and the way in which the
transmission is received: Household access to television is almost universal,
with almost every household having access to one (98%).

Uptake of communications packages: The use of service
packages continues to grow across the EU, with 42% of households now obtaining
their communication services through a package. Most packages include Internet
access (90%) and a fixed telephone (82%). The inclusion of television channels
is less popular (48%) and a mobile telephone in the package is the least common
item (19%).

The ease of switching Internet service providers and/or
package providers: A majority of EU households said that they never considered
changing their Internet service provider (58%) or their service package
provider (60%). Only 12% of households are active switchers, around 15% of
households would like to switch but are hindered for a number of reasons and
eventually three quarters of households can be considered as inertial
consumers.

Affordability of mobile services: Concern about the cost of
mobile calls has increased (+4) and 65% are now limiting calls with their
mobile because of concerns about charges.

Data privacy: EU citizens are increasingly concerned about
data privacy, with 88% (+4) wanting to know if their data was lost, stolen or
altered in any way.